A 2012 “Spécial Club” from Champagne authority Pierre Gimonnet! For those who keep their ears to the ground, no further convincing is necessary because a distinctively-shaped bottle with these two coveted words is among the most sought-after Champagnes on earth. Out of several thousand Champagne producers, just 28 have been appointed to this exclusive circle of esteemed growers and only a few can count themselves as a founding member—Gimonnet is one of them. If Champagne is an art form, then Pierre Gimonnet is a legend comparable to that of Rodin, Monet, or Cézanne, and today’s exceptional 2012 is their
pièce de résistance.
Primarily from their century-old Chardonnay holdings in Grand Cru Cramant, along with Grand Cru Chouilly and 1er Cru Cuis, it’s a luxurious, six-years-aged triumph that can stand up to the most prestigious and expensive Blanc de Blancs on the market. Yes, Pierre Giommonet is undoubtedly a Champagne superstar that consistently releases the top wines of his region, but in 2012, they endured a ruthless vetting process in order to put their extraordinary wine in today’s trademarked, 18th-century-inspired “Spécial Club” bottle (more on that below). Ultimately, this is among the most confoundingly luxurious, complex, and delicious Vintage Champagnes you can acquire; it is a trophy for your cellar—if you can get ahold of one. Case in point: It’s our first-ever offering of any Spécial Club, so I strongly suggest you take advantage of the limited opportunity.
The “Spécial Club,” known as Club Trésors de Champagne since 1999 is one of the most rigorous wine organizations on earth. Other than being one of the 28 qualifying members—which happens only through private invitation—a series of fortunate events must occur should you want to display “Spécial Club” on your label. First, it must be a Vintage Champagne from a year deemed worthy by the committee (in the stellar 2012 growing season, there wasn’t a shred of doubt). Second, your wine must be blind tasted twice by a nonpartisan panel of enologists and winemakers—once as a base wine and then again after three years of bottle aging. If one of them is downvoted, your wine no longer qualifies for the “Spécial Club. If it does meet all of the requirements then, and only then, can you use today’s specially designed squat-shaped bottle, which is trademarked exclusively for the club’s usage.
Didier and Olivier Gimonnet, grandsons of Pierre, are responsible for 28 hectares throughout a handful of villages in the northern Côte des Blancs. Quality Champagne has been leaving their cellars for more than 80 years now, but vines have been grown by the Gimonnet family since 1750. So, you’re tasting the craftsmanship that comes with deep history, as well as the finest Chardonnay terroir in Champagne. What they strive for here is nothing but pure, rich, and refined expressions of Chardonnay from impressively old vines—the large majority exceed 40 years of age, although their most prized parcels in Cramant date back to 1911. About 60% of today’s 2012 “Spécial Club” is sourced from these ancient vines in Cramant, with the rest coming from Grand Cru Chouilly (30%) and Premier Cru Cuis 10%. Manually farmed and harvested, the grapes fermented, including malolactic, in stainless steel. Following, the different Chardonnay parcels were blended together and bottled, after which the wine aged on lees for six years. A very light four-gram dosage occurred upon disgorgement in early 2019.
Gimonnet’s 2012 “Spécial Club” is a remarkable wine that highlights the raw intelligence and power of old-vines in Cramant. Incredible tension and multi-layered richness keeps the palate building with each passing second, and an extraordinary ripe fruit/crushed mineral infusion allows it to soar. This is a paragon of world-class Champagne and around 50-55 degrees in an all-purpose stems (Burgundy stems are also fine), it comes alive: Explosions of ripe quince, apricot, and yellow apples dominate center stage, followed by toasted nuts, brioche, salted lemon peel, citrus blossoms, oyster shell, acacia honey, lees, vanilla bean, and finally crushed chalk. Despite the powerful minerality at play here—we have time-honored Grand Cru terroirs to thank for that—there is so much suppleness to be had. The palate is full, rich, and luxurious, all with an underlying intensity that leaves a long-lasting imprint. This 2012 will undoubtedly age for the next 10+ years and will transcend it’s already vertiginous level of greatness within the next 2-3. Gather your greatest Champagne aficionados around for this one—it’s one for the history books. Cheers!
